What the 1-Yuan Ice Water Means for Street Coffee

Guming recently added a 1-yuan cup of ice water to its mini-program menu, drawing wide attention because the drink is just a plastic cup, ice cubes, and drinking water. Some consumers build low-cost iced Americanos or tea drinks from it, while others note that KFC, McDonald's, and many street coffee shops already give water free, and a reusable cup gets ice water at no charge.

Employees say the takeaway cup alone costs about 7 mao, so each cup sold runs at a loss once ice and a straw are added. Mixue Bingcheng pulled its 1-yuan ice cup last year after franchisees could not profit. The debate now centers on whether clearly marked pricing removes the awkwardness of asking for free water or simply repeats that earlier misstep.

Recently, the menu on Gu Ming's mini-program was quietly updated, and a cup of ice water priced at 1 yuan attracted widespread attention. This simple drink, consisting of a plastic cup, ice cubes, and drinking water, has been turned into all sorts of things by netizens—adding espresso to make an iced Americano, mixing in milk and boba to make a topped tea drink, and even recreating salted plum lemonade. However, controversy followed: many consumers pointed out that chain brands such as KFC and McDonald's, and even street-side cafes, can provide drinking water for free, and bringing your own cup to a Gu Ming store can also get you ice water for free. Some employees even revealed that the cost of just the takeaway cup alone reaches 7 mao, and adding ice cubes and a straw means each cup sold is actually a loss. Last year, Mixue Bingcheng's 1-yuan ice cup was removed from shelves one after another because franchisees could not make a profit. Will Gu Ming's move repeat the same mistake? Some also believe that clearly marked pricing actually saves the awkwardness of communication and lets people who feel embarrassed to ask enjoy it with peace of mind. Front Street Coffee takes you to find out.

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Recently, many consumers, when opening the Gu Ming mini-program to place an order, found that the official menu had been quietly updated and a 1-yuan ice water product had been launched.

After the new product was released, curious users placed orders to try it out, and after receiving it, they found it lived up to its name—a takeaway plastic cup filled with ice cubes and drinking water. Insert a straw and it can be drunk like iced mineral water, with nothing special in taste.

Although this cup of ice water is plain and unremarkable, netizens, staring at this colorless, transparent liquid, opened their minds and came up with all kinds of creative ways to drink it.

Some suggested adding espresso or coffee liquid to recreate an iced Americano at low cost; others planned to take it to a milk tea shop, ask for a serving of brown sugar boba, then pour in milk to make a budget topped tea drink; still others said that dropping two slices of lemon and a salted plum into the ice water would produce Gu Ming's same salted plum lemonade, easily saving several yuan.

Even with nothing added, in consumers' eyes this cup of ice water is still economical and practical. "One yuan for a cup of more than 500 ml iced water is still okay," "It's only one yuan and they even provide service, it really feels like it's not worth much," "Pretty good, in summer you can drink ice water and it's cheaper than mineral water."

However, many netizens pointed out that at present many chain brands or street-side tea shops, cafes, and so on all provide free drinking water service. "But in that case, if I go to KFC and ask for a cup, it's free," "McDonald's doesn't charge; when I worked part-time at McDonald's I often had people ask for hot water, warm water, cold water, ice cubes, and even 80° water," "Just find a coffee shop and ask for a cup of water, unless you absolutely must have ice, why spend the money?"

Some also pointed out that if you bring your own cup to a Gu Ming store and explain what you need, you can basically get a free cup of ice water from the employees without spending that 1 yuan.

Some Gu Ming employees hold the same view, believing that the brand's move is superfluous, and some even questioned, "Will anyone really buy it?" In addition, employees also revealed that the takeaway cup used for the drink costs 7 mao, and with ice cubes, drinking water, and a straw added, the cost of one cup of ice water already exceeds the selling price itself. They said bluntly that every cup of ice water sold is a losing deal for the store.

Last year, Mixue Bingcheng followed the trend and launched a 1-yuan ice cup, sparking heated discussion across the internet, but in reality a large number of franchisees applied to remove it from shelves because the 1-yuan ice cup could not bring profits to their stores, resulting in consumers who wanted to buy the ice cup being unable to buy it at all. Now Gu Ming has also followed suit by listing 1-yuan ice water, and in the eyes of netizens it may face a similar outcome. They said the brand might as well "lose money to gain attention" and directly stipulate that stores can provide free ice water to customers, thereby winning public praise through this service.

However, some people believe that Gu Ming listing a cup of ice water separately on the menu is actually a thoughtful move. Although many tea and coffee shops are willing to provide free drinking water to customers who need it, there are also merchants like Luckin that do not provide ice water due to food safety risks, and for some consumers, some people are embarrassed to speak up in stores and feel too awkward to directly ask for ice water.

Therefore, in their view, the brand's practice of clearly marking the price of a cup of ice water not only saves the communication step between customers and employees, but also allows people who are embarrassed to ask to enjoy this cup of ice water with peace of mind, "not having to nod and thank them frantically just because it's free."

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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